Rhizome Propagation Methods of Lowland Bamboo (Oxytenanthera abyssinica) in Central Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Bamboo is a plant species that has a range of economic, environmental, and sociocultural importance. Bamboo can be propagated through sexual and asexual propagation methods. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. This study aims to evaluate different rhizome cutting materials that are relatively suitable for large-scale plantations. The materials for propagating bamboo by vegetative means are whole or portions of the rhizomes, each with a single culm having two to six basal nodes, preferably 1- to 2-year-old culms from the peripheral portion of the clump having 2, 4, 6 basal nodes and 1.5-2 cm, 2-4 cm, and 4-6 cm in diameter. The design of the experiment is a split plot design with three replications and nine plots. This experiment is laid in 1029 m2 (21 m x 49 m). The size of each plot is 45 m2 (15 m by 5 m), and the distance between plots and plants in plots is 2 m. The number of nodes is assigned in the main plot, and the diameter of the planting material is assigned in the subplot. There are a total of 9 treatment combinations and a total of 108 planting materials. Significantly higher (P = 0.01) mean survival rate (59%) was observed in the planting material with two basal nodes and 2-4 cm diameter and the planting material with six nodes and 2-4 cm diameter. Further research is crucial to devise effective vegetative propagation methods for large scale plantations without compromising the survival capability of the planting materials.